Alignment of Slovenian enviromental and agricultural legislation in the scope of agricultural genetic genetic resources conservation

Abstract

Agricultural biodiversity (agrobiodiversity) encompasses components of biodiversity relevant
to food and agriculture, and the genetic resources are it's important part. The fundamental
premise for legal protection of environment and conservation of natural heritage in Slovenia is
given by the Constitution. The Environment Protection Act is an umbrella act for
environmental protection and all other relevant legal provisions are more specific regulations
adjusted to distinctive features of particular sectors. Protection of biodiversity and Slovenia'svaluable natural features is provided by the Nature Conservation Act (NCA). Analysis of that
and other legal sources shows that NCA does not regulate agricultural biodiversity, and that
there is no connection between environmental and agricultural legislation regarding
agrobiodiversity, or more specifically, agricultural genetic resources. Both legislations use
separate scales for the validation of natural resources (valuable natural features vs.
autochthonous cultivars and breeds, respectively). One possible way of integrating
agrobiodiversity aspects into Slovenian environmental legislation would be by adding
provisions to NCA to transfer authority for agrobiodiversity to agricultural legislation. An
appropriate way of linking environmental and agricultural legislation in the matter of protection
of genetic resources for food and agriculture would be possible by granting valuable natural
feature status to those parts of agrobiodiversity which have particular historical, cultural
and/or scientific value for Slovenia.